There Will Be Killing: Collectivization and Death of Draft Animals†

There Will Be Killing: Collectivization and Death of Draft Animals†
Chen, Shuo; Lan, Xiaohuan
2017-10-01 00:00:00
AbstractThe elimination of private property rights can lead to ineffcient use of productive assets. In China's collectivization movement from 1955 to 1957, instead of transferring draft animals to the ownership of the collectives, peasants slaughtered them to keep the meat and hide. By comparing 1,600 counties that launched the movement in different years, the difference-in-differences estimates suggest that the animal loss during the movement was 12 to 15 percent, or 7.4–9.5 million head. Grain output dropped by 7 percent due to lower animal inputs and lower productivity. (JEL N45, N55, O13, P26, P32, Q11)
http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.pngAmerican Economic Journal: Applied EconomicsAmerican Economic Associationhttp://www.deepdyve.com/lp/american-economic-association/there-will-be-killing-collectivization-and-death-of-draft-animals-TxY06IVp8i

Abstract

AbstractThe elimination of private property rights can lead to ineffcient use of productive assets. In China's collectivization movement from 1955 to 1957, instead of transferring draft animals to the ownership of the collectives, peasants slaughtered them to keep the meat and hide. By comparing 1,600 counties that launched the movement in different years, the difference-in-differences estimates suggest that the animal loss during the movement was 12 to 15 percent, or 7.4–9.5 million head. Grain output dropped by 7 percent due to lower animal inputs and lower productivity. (JEL N45, N55, O13, P26, P32, Q11)